Daughter of US Ambassador David Friedman immigrates to Israel

U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, with wife Tammy, greets his daughter and new Israeli immigrant Talia Friedman on her arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, Aug. 15, 2017. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

TEL AVIV (JTA) — Talia Friedman, the daughter of U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, immigrated to Israel.

A 23-year-old nurse, Talia Friedman officially became an Israeli citizen at Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday morning along with 233 other North Americans who arrived on a flight chartered by the Nefesh B’Nefesh aliyah group.

Friedman greeted his daughter on the tarmac and expressed pride to gathered reporters.

“We’re so proud of our daughter Talia. She always wanted to live in Israel, and she’s realizing her dream,” he said just after the plane landed. “Our whole family is very proud of her. We’re here just to greet her and give her a hug and wish her ‘behatzlah raba’ [much success] here in Israel.

“She loves Israel. We all love Israel. Our whole family loves Israel. And this is her dream.”

Friedman said his daughter would probably continue working as a nurse, as she had in New York. The Hebrew media reported that Talia Friedman would live in Jerusalem, but her father said she would “make her own decision.”

A New York attorney who formerly worked for President Donald Trump, Friedman has longstanding ties to Israel. He owns a home in Jerusalem and actively supports the West Bank settlement enterprise, particularly the community of Beit El.

Trump’s appointment of Friedman as envoy was controversial because of his politics and past comparison of left-wing Jewish groups to “kapos” in the Holocaust. Friedman apologized for the comment during his Senate confirmation hearing and was approved in a 52-46 vote.

On Sunday, Jason Greenblatt, another former Trump attorney and the special representative for international negotiations, tweeted that his triplets are headed to Israel for a Jewish studies gap year program.